TNAG-1724-FCO40-2437-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 321

4.

manual and non-manual employees would indeed disappear.

Mr. TAM (in Cantonese):

Sir, has the Government considered

that there are the following problems inherent in the Ordinance ?

(1) The line between non-manual and manual workers is difficult

to draw and (2) with the advance of technology and automation, more and more types of work will become non-manual in nature. If we have. this particular ceiling and this particular ceiling becomes the dividing line, then we will be providing an opportunity to the employer to make use of the legal loophole.

Secretary for Education and Manpower:

Sir, I am not aware

of this distinction having caused any problem so far nor am I aware of it having led to any loopholes being exploited. If any member has any information on this point, I would be

very interested to hear it.

Sir,

Mr. SZETO (in Cantonese): could the Government inform this

recent deliberations of the Labour

Council

of the

Advisory Board over this point. Has a consensus really been

unanimously reached ? Many years ago when I was

a member

of the Labour Advisory Board and whenever this matter was brought up for discussion, we did not see any unanimity

in views between the employers' and the employees'

representatives.